Reported by: Abigail Buttacavoli, WTOP-10 TV 

What’s better than the aroma of freshly popped popcorn and the boom of a new blockbuster film? To the people of Oswego, one little movie theater has been a family favorite for almost a century.

This year Oswego Cinema is celebrating 75 years in business since its grand opening on January 22, 1941. Originally located on the corner of Bridge Street and Second Street where the current theater stands was the Hippodrome Theater which opened its doors around 1910.

The Oswego Cinema,  referred to as the Oswego 7 Cinemas for its seven screen rooms, was built in 1940 for M. Shapiro and Sons and designed in the art deco style by noted architect of his time John Ebberson. The old time charm and the movement of the lights give an appearance of going back in time and that attracts Oswego moviegoers.

Vinny Ruggio, a lifelong Oswego resident, brought his grandchildren to the movies and explained his memories and his love of the theater. “It’s the best gig in town, even now for me,” he said, “and I want my grandchildren to enjoy the same experience and I hope this place always stays open.”

“I like the art deco atmosphere of the place, it just has a lot of history, being almost 75 years old,” said Cole Smith, the general manager. He believes the theater is a great part of the town.

Each and every person who comes through the doors of the cinema is witnessing a unique piece of history. Here’s to 75 more years!

by Kerry Ryan

OSWEGO, N.Y. — On Tuesday, October 10th, the Sheldon Hall Ballroom was filled with members of the oswego community; all waiting to listen to ‘I Am Oz’ speaker and ESPN writer, Kate Fagan. Fagan shared her stories of coming out as a gay woman, working for ESPN, and her inspiration to write the book What Made Maddy Run?. What Made Maddy Run? is the story of University of Pennsylvania freshman track star Madison Holleran, who died by suicide at the age of 19 years old after secretly struggling with anxiety and depression.

Fagan originally wrote Holleran’s story as a piece for ESPN. After receiving numerous emails written by high school and college students, as well as their parents, Fagan said she knew that she needed to dig deeper into the story.

“I realized that we had really only touched on a certain piece of the story in the magazine piece and that there were other roads to travel down to make the story more fleashed out for the rest of the college students and young people who saw themselves in her,” Fagan said.

This isn’t Fagan’s first non-fiction story, however. The Former WNBA player previously released a book retelling the story of her own struggles. The Reappearing Act: Coming Out as Gay on a College Basketball Team Led by Born-Again Christians explains the background of Fagan’s difficulty with her identity and how it would affect her and those around her.

What Made Maddy Run? was an instant New York Times best-seller. This is a first for Fagan, who said she has always wanted to be a writer.

“Basketball was like the pursuit,” Fagan said. “I guess I’ll be a writer when I’m done. And so when i was done playing basketball, that’s when I moved the writing to the front burner.”

Fagan said her next goal is to get some of her fictional work published. She said  that, unlike non-fiction, there’s a different way of storytelling in fiction and it allows writers to have more creative freedom.

What Made Maddy Run? by Kate Fagan is available online and in bookstores now.

by Jamie Aranoff

Oswego, NY- Students in Oswego State’s MBA program volunteered their time to do free income tax reports for both students and members of the Oswego community.

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA) has been a part of the Oswego State campus for over ten years. The VITA program assists students who are new to doing taxes on their own as well as community members.   

According to a press release, the Oswego VITA program received a score of 100 percent in quality site requirements in its IRS field audit.

VITA on-site program coordinator Kevin Kania says tax forms are sent by the students to the IRS electronically. If there are any questions or concerns about a form, the IRS will contact them.

“Last year we had over a 99 percent approval rating, which means over 99 percent of the returns we prepare were accepted by the IRS which means we did them correctly and there were no issues or questions for us,” he said.

According to City-Data, the median household income in Oswego was $39,632 in 2015. Many residents fit the requirement for VITA’s minimum income, bringing in many tax forms for student volunteers to file.

“Last year we preformed over 400 returns and this year we’re on track to get over 400 returns throughout the whole semester,” Kania said.

The last day to file taxes is Apr. 18.